We Are One
by Maestro of Madness
Summary: A symbiotic relationship is when two or more beings work together for mutual beneficence. For one creature it could be just to survive and eat. For another it could be to rise up and become a hero. Unfortunately, these two kinda clash with one another, but they're stuck with each other. At least until they figure something else out.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, got another story. This one will also be a superhero story, but will have Marvel AND DC characters and elements. I'll be mixing together both comic universes and the RWBY universe to make what I believe to be a great mix.**

**We Are One**

**Ch. 1**

The inside of the cave was dark. Only the dim light from a small crevice let in the moonlight from above. Inside the cave several large pitch-black bat-like creatures with yellow eyes could be seen moving around. A few of them were screeching towards the center of the cave where a pedestal stood with a golden orb resting on top.

Every now and then one of the bat creatures would stop screaming and another would take its place. The screeches from the monsters were strong enough to shake the pedestal a bit, but not disturb the orb too badly.

Another creature began to float down from the crevice. This one looked more like a jellyfish with a globe for a center and several tendrils dangling down. The globe began to glow and shift in color as the image of a pale woman with red and black eyes and equally pale hair observed the orb.

"It's been awhile since The Creature last showed any activity. Perhaps it is more complacent than its predecessors? Which one was I on now? The 16th or 17th? It could even be in the 30's for all I can remember. They all blended together eventually."

The woman pondered to herself as she continued to observe the orb for a few more moments before turning away. She looks to the other guest in the room with her. The other guest was a man with black hair and a rather obnoxious mustache. He was dressed in a nice gray suit and pants with a yellow undershirt.

"I believe this is the 20th one mistress. We have only just recently disposed of its predecessor no more than 8 months ago, so I'm sure it's had plenty of time to consider it's options." The man looks into the globe to see the state of the orb and inspect.

The pale woman hums to herself, whether in agreement or in frustration it was hard to tell. "Either way, I do hope you're able to get this one to be more… complacent than the others, Watts. It was one of the main reasons I brought you in to my inner circle after all."

Watts gave a rather confident smirk as he stood back in front of the woman. "Rest assured, mistress. I'll have much better results with this one. It's easier to work with a blank canvas than one someone's ruined after all. I'll have results soon after I get The Creature to one of my labs to examine."

"See that you do." The floating globe in the room is dismissed and exits through a set of doors. "I'll have it delivered within the week. In the mean time I suggest making sure your lab was equipped to contain it. Remember that it's weak against fire and sound. Anything else with do little against it."

"I've already made sure precautions were put in place, but I'll be sure to test them before I receive the creature." Watts bows towards the woman and begins walking towards the doors. "Now then I best be off. Until next time Mistress Salem."

After Watts leaves Salem continues to sit upon her throne with a look of content. _'I do hope this one is the one. I remember when I came across the first of these creatures over a millennium ago. When I first came in contact with it the power I felt was incredible, but The Creature itself did not seem as willing to stay with me as I had wished. I was lucky in containing it at the time, but I still had no luck in getting it to bond with me again. A century or so passed and it still didn't obey. That was until it gave birth to another one. With it's spawn in my grasp I no longer needed the original and was able to discard it by throwing it into a volcano. Though it seemed the spawn held just as much contempt as it's parent as it too refused me. And now here I am 10 generations later and still no closer to the power I had back then.'_

* * *

'_**Time feels long inside this prison. No idea how much time has passed since last light.'**_

Back inside the cave the prisoner of the golden orb rests in its cage. The creatures outside continue their vocal assault on it, not realizing that such attacks no longer affected it. _**'The loud noise has long since lost its painful touch. Now it is just an annoyance.'**_

For centuries The Creature's ancestors have been kept prisoner here, the dark creatures outside staying vigilante as their keepers. Every now and then they would stop their screaming and quiet down. When they did it was usually followed by another sound, though one not nearly as loud. From the new sound it was easy to tell it was an intelligent creature capable of communication on some vocal level as it spoke to The Creature in the orb.

The new sound always asked that it become one with it and it would be set free. But The Creature knew this was a false promise. Ever since the First each one of The Creatures knew this sound. It was the sound, the voice, of the one that imprisoned and tortured them. This voice only wanted to control them and use them. It had no intention of caring for their needs.

The voice would eventually leave and the screaming would begin again. From what The Creature could remember its ancestors used to be susceptible to this sound. But it seemed that long exposure to this sound built up an immunity and now it was no longer as weak as the others to it.

The Creature had considered escaping, but decided to wait. One of the others tried to escape once and was captured by another attack. This one was warm and caused it to burn. After the previous one's tried to escape the prison was moved to a place that allowed the black creatures to continue their watch over the cage and add the extra defense of a warm source underneath the pedestal that made it even harder to escape.

The Creature was waiting. Waiting for a chance to slip past the black creatures and maneuver through the warm place. And it seemed today might very well be its chance.

Outside one of the bat creatures fly around and tries to re position itself on another part of the wall. As it passes one of its kin the one still on the wall begins its turn of screeching, knocking it's still flying sibling out of the air.

As the bat careens to the ground it crashes onto the warm floor. It starts to get back up and looks towards the one that attacked it. It charges at the offender and the two start to tussle. The pair roll around the ground, clawing and biting one another in an attempt to kill each other.

Some others try to interfere but any that get close as struck by one of the two and join in the fight. As the fight moves across the floor in makes its way towards where the pedestal stands and knocks into it. The pedestal falls over but none care to notice. The orb that rested on top falls with it and rolls across the ground. One of the bat creatures has the misfortune of stepping on the orb and shatters in beneath its weight.

As the orb shatters its prisoner is finally set free. A white goop sticks to the bottom of the bat's foot and slowly starts to crawl up it without being notice. Eventually the bat notices something's on it but at that point it's too late as the goop has already covered most of its body. It tries in vain to scream and claw at the goop to get it off but it's soon covered and ceases it attempts.

The now white bat simply stands there for a few moments before eventually straightening up. Its eyes are now solid black instead of yellow and where the bones that had littered its body changed to black as well.

None of the bats on the ground seemed to notice the change in their comrade, but the same could not be said for those still on the walls. Those that remain on the walls spot their corrupted sibling and start to attack it. The screams aren't just a few this time. Now the entire colony was screeching at The Creature. The intensity of the screams was so intense that the cave was starting to shake.

The ground begins to crack and fissures start to form. The Creature, now with its new host, starts to make its way towards the crack in the ceiling to escape. Almost on instinct The Creature is able to completely mimic the flight skills of the bat it possesses and starts to take to the air. Before it can reach the crack though two of the other bats side swipe it and tackle it to the ground.

With the sonic screams now focused on the ground the fissures begin to open wider. Allowing the burning red liquid to erupt from below. Half a dozen or so of the bats are caught in the initial eruption and die quickly to the burning liquid as the others steer clear. The magma slowly starts to crawl towards the still downed Creature. As the magma contacts the flesh of The Creature it shocks it into awareness. The warm feeling of the lava had burned and melted the bat creatures almost instantly on contact, but it did not seem the same for The Creature.

The magma was no comfort, but it did not hurt and cause pain. It simply made it uncomfortable to remain near it. Rolling away from the magma The Creature resumed it course of escape and returned to the air. This time the bats were too busy trying to escape the eruption and were unable to stop their ward.

It seems the depths of the cave were deeper than they seemed as it takes nearly a full minute of crawling the walls to escape. The first thing The Creature notices is the shattered globe in the sky, with its pieces orbiting nearby. Not wanting to risk being captured again it resumes it flight unabated from the cavern's walls.

'_**It feels different up here. Not warm like below. The sensation is much more comforting than the red substance.' **_The Creature thinks to itself as it makes its way through the night sky. _**'Now then. Where to go next?'**_

* * *

**Sometime later**

'_I can't believe this happened. Not only did Jean get into Beacon, but I tried to make my rejection seem not so bad by saying I got a job in Vale. I know I was bummed about not getting in, but did I have to say something that stupid?! And mom and dad instantly believed me! Even packed my bag and sent me on my way with some cash.'_

A young man makes his trek through the woods far outside his village where his home rests. He stands a little over 6 feet with a somewhat slim, but firm, build and a messy head of blond hair. This young man's name is Jaune Arc. And he's currently left, (been kicked out), of the home he's been raised in for 17 years.

His parents didn't mean anything bad by it. They love him and all his sisters dearly. But now that Jean left they had one less kid at home and they want try to motivate the others to move out. Even when they were happy to hear he got a job they still asked some questions as to what kind of job it was. He just said it was a job at news company. People don't get printed media too much anymore, but they still put up articles on their website.

He used his hobby of taking photos as an excuse for why he even applied there and said he sent in some of his shots for references. Now of course this was a bold-faced lie. His photos might be good, but he couldn't compete with those who went to college and do this for a living. At least in his mind he sees it as such.

So, his parents sent him to Vale to start his 'job' and even offered to pay for the first 4 months of rent on an apartment they found. Not an expensive one, kinda small, but it would be enough until he got his first few paychecks they said.

Which brings us back to our current predicament. The village they lived in didn't have a port where Bullheads came to pick people up and fly them to wherever they wanted to go, so he had to go a few towns over to get to one that did.

Their village was near the shore between Vale and Vacuo. The main profession of those inside the village was fishing, which brought in pretty good revenue for them. His father was among the fishermen, which he helped with when he got old enough. During his time on the boat he had to develop good leg muscles just to keep his balance and decent upper body strength to haul in the fish when the net was pulled in.

His sisters had all already left home to live their own lives, with him and Jean being the last. The village would have new blood soon though as some families moved in every now and then to join the prosperous and well protected village.

'_It's already been two days since I left the village, but at least I'm almost to the town with a port. Jean said Beacon didn't open for another two months so she'd wait until a week before it opened to head out, much to the disappointment of mom and dad.'_

Luckily for the blond the threat of Grimm isn't too high in this area normally, which allows him to travel with only mild caution.

Little does he know the encounter he will soon have that will change his life forever.

* * *

'_**It's been many days since I escaped the cave and already I've had to change hosts more than once. The first host became inoperable after the first night for unknown reason and disappeared, so I had to travel by myself for half a day. That's when I came across another creature similar to those in the cave, only it stood on four appendages with its wings on its back and a tail that attacked of its own accord. I was able to take it by surprise and continue at a faster pace away from the prison. Another day later and it too stop functioning and disappeared.'**_

Over the wide expanse of the ocean a shadow can be seen underneath the water traveling at a rapid rate. _**'I found was able to find another creature that could fly like the other two and I resumed flying. From there I changed to one that did not possess wings but had a much longer tail then the second creature and pincers. After wards was one that was much larger but slower than any of the others so I abandoned it. Speed was important now. The one before the one I currently possessed was smaller, but made up for it with its ability to traverse and swing from the trees. I finally made it to the edge of land and found myself at what I believe to be the ocean. Any knowledge I have of such things has been passed down from the First from when he bonded with the Monster.'**_

The shadow below the water starts to grow and white fins breach the surface as the water parts. _**'While looking for a way to cross the water I came across my most recent host resting near a cove and was able to surprise it. Which has led up to my current situation.'**_ The form beneath the water is now fully visible as a large white serpent like creature swims across the surface of the ocean towards anywhere that looks like land. Speaking of which, something was coming into sight now. In the horizon the shore could be seen, which was good considering it looks as though the current host was starting to fail.

As The Creature nears the shore it hops from the host as it starts to dissolve and onto the shore. The Creature searches for a new host to inhabit, but finds no luck as it travels through the wooded area.

'_**I need to find a new host soon. The Monster would have sent out some of her own to search for me by now and I need to have a host that won't disappear after a day.'**_ As it thinks that a loud caw could be heard overhead. Flying nearby is a giant black bird similar to the one it possessed formally and following The Creature. Not wanting to be captured in quickens its pace and tries to lose the avian in the trees, but to no avail.

As they head deeper into the forest footsteps could be heard coming from the sides as a large pack of the black wolves' approach. _**'I need to hurry. There are too many to try and bond to. Any one of them have a way to trap me and put me back in the cage. I. Will. Not. Go. Back!'**_

Elsewhere in the forest Jaune is starting to hear shifting in the brush not far off. "That sounded like... Na, it couldn't be. Grimm sightings have been scarce lately. There's no way there's this many so nearby… Buuuuut just to be safe I should probably stay quiet and hurry up."

The boy quickens his pace and silently heads towards the nearest village. Nearly 4 miles away. If that is Grimm like he believes then chances are he won't be able to make it in time. The noises start to get closer and closer and the poor boys heart feels like it's about to burst. He's now in a dead sprint towards the village.

Nearing the edge of the tree line he can see the sunlight. After this it's a straight shot to the village, but that also means no cover. If he stays in the forest chances are he could try and hide until the group passes, but judging from the path they're taking they'll be heading right towards the village. If they're not warned they could be over run. He needs to hurry.

The wind is rushing past his face as he tries to break out into the field. The light is so close he can almost feel it. He could just reach out and touch it. But something else touched him, more like grabbed him.

A Beowulf jumps out of the trees and pins him to the ground. The dark creature howls in his face causing him to tense up in fear. It wasn't until the jaws of the monster were almost on him the he decided to move. He's able to duck out of the way and evade the attack, but remains pinned. The Beowulf goes for another attack with it's claws and tries to swipe at him. Jaune uses this opportunity to roll out of the exposed side and try to get away.

He's now running along the tree line in hopes that the narrow route between the trees will slow the monster down so he can make a break for it. Just as he thinks he's made it something swipes him from the side and knocks him into a tree. A second Beowulf emerges from behind a tree and prowls forward as the first joins its sibling.

'_Is this it? Is this how I die?'_ The area where he got swiped starts to bleed. It looks like the claws got pretty deep. _'Even if I got away I doubt I could make it to the village before I bleed out. Even worse… it ripped my Pumpkin Pete hoodie. I had to save up 50 box tops to get this thing.'_

A weak chuckle escapes his lips, though he doesn't seem very amused. The two Beowolves seem to argue over who gets to finish off the kid, and it seems the first one won out. It goes back to the injured boy and prepares to end his suffering. Its claws raise high overhead and come down.

The last thing Jaune sees is a flash of white and suddenly everything goes dark.

* * *

'_**I will admit. I did not expect to discover a totally new life form while on the run.'**_ As The Creature tried to escape from its pursuers it discovered another creature running from a few of those tracking it. While hope is not one of the things it likes to put stock in chances were that this unknown creature would last longer, at least longer than the Black Ones.

'_**It's much smaller than even the smallest Black One I've seen. But I suppose I'll have to deal with it for now.'**_ Now in possession of a new host The Creature stands against two Beowolves. The monsters seemed surprised at the sudden change in their previously helpless victim and the emergence of their target. _**'The host seems to be injured. It would be best to heal the wound. Unlike the Black Ones this one's flesh holds better.'**_ The Creature tries to move forward, but is unable to. _**'What is this? Why can't I move? Is the damage more severe than I thought?'**_

"What on Remnant is happening!?"

'_**Huh? The host is… conscious?'**_

All of the previous host displayed a distinct lack of intelligence. At least in so far as to be able to communicate vocally. This new development is interesting to The Creature, but right now it has more important problems.

'_**I suppose the best way to get it to move is to communicate with it.'**_ The only one The Creature has ever talked to was the Monster. Perhaps this one will be easier to work with. **"Can you hear me? Do you understand what I am saying?"**

Jaune looks left and right frantically in search of whoever just spoke. "Hello? Is someone there?"

"**That would be me."**

"Me? Who's me? I can't see anyone."

"**I am here. Inside you. Or rather on you."**

"On me? What do you mean on m—" Finally noticing the change in his appearance Jaune stares at the pure white substance covering him. "What is this stuff? How'd it get on me?" He definitely doesn't remember wearing anything like this when he got dressed this morning.

"**I suggest you hold off on any more questions. Right now, we have a situation to deal with."**

The unknown voice reminds Jaune of why he was running in the first place. Still standing in front of him are two Beowolves. The pair still seemed surprised but the shock will probably wear off soon.

Jaune stumbles back into the tree and starts to shake in fear again. "Wh-what am I supposed to do?"

"**We're going to need to fight together if we want to get out of here. Follow my commands and we should be able to succeed."**

Still not sure about what's happening all Jaune can do is listen to the voice in his head. He gets into a basic fighting pose he saw on tv and prepares to take on the monsters. Now knocked from their stupor the first of the pair jumps to attack.

"Whoa!" Jaune's barely able to react to the attack, but still easily dodges to the side. With its side exposed Jaune kicks it in the ribs and practically kicks the thing in half. "Double whoa!" Still surprised by his own display of strength he doesn't realize the second Beowolf jumping on his back until it's already on him. The monster latches its teeth into the teenager's shoulder and breaks through the skin. "Ow! That really hurts you over grown mutt!"

Grabbing the head of his attacker Jaune flips the monster over and slams it into the ground. Before the Beowolf can get back up he stomps down on its head and crushes it. The corpse of the Beowolf soon disappears. Looking to where the remains of the first one was he notices that it too is gone.

"Ha… Okay, what just happened? How did I dodge that first attack? How'd I kill those Beowolf so easily? When'd I get so strong?"

"**That would most likely be because of me." **The voice returns. It's rather deep and has a slight echo to it.

Jaune looks around again for whoever is speaking. "Alright, where are you. I can't keep talking to someone if I can't see them."

If The Creature could sigh it would. **"I believe I already explained, but perhaps it would be better if you saw it yourself." **The white substance covering Jaune starts to shift and move over towards is right arm. When most of the strange fluid like material gathers it starts to build up and sprout a head. Well, a sorta head. Rather than eyes it just had black shapes on it's 'face' that resemble unblinking eyes.

"Ah, another Grimm!" The reveal causes Jaune to fall back on his butt. He tries to back away, but with the 'Grimm' attached to him it doesn't really help.

"**I am not a 'Grimm' as you say."** The Creature almost seems offended to be compared to the monsters that threaten the civilized world of Remnant.

Jaune doesn't look to believe that statement, as he continues to shake. "I-I-If you're not a Grimm what are you exactly?"

The Creature pauses for a moment, thinking of the best way to explain. **"That is a rather difficult question. I suppose the best way to explain would be that I am a being that bonds itself to other lifeforms. My body on its own is not strong enough to fight off many predators, so in order to survive I bond to a compatible host."**

With the more in-depth information on the being attached to him Jaune relaxes the slightest bit. "So, am I the first thing you've bonded too? You seemed surprised by autonomy."

"**The only other lifeforms I have bonded myself to were the Black Ones. Those creatures we just fought previously. They did not possess the same amount of self-awareness that you do though, so it was rather surprising to see."**

"I guess that makes sense." Now that the conversation has turned into a back and forth between the two the nervous teen has been able to calm down enough to not stutter. "From what I know Grimm are mostly feral. Only older Grimm have some semblance of intelligence."

"**I see."** The Creature looks around before returning to Jaune. **"While we both have questions we want answered, might I suggest we get somewhere away from the, Grimm, as you called them?"**

Jaune agrees and gets up. He goes to try and dust himself off, but after seeing the 'head' of whatever was attached to his still sticking out he chose to simply continue. The duo starts to make their way to the village and as it starts to get within view he remembers something. "Oh man, how are we gonna explain you? I mean a white goo monster isn't something they see every day. Plus, someone might ask about my damaged hoodie."

The Creature simply spreads itself out again, but this time it mimics the clothes he was wearing before. **"Will this do? I'm able to mimic appearances, so your clothes should be no problem."**

Now while this might seem like a ground-breaking discovery, being able to shape-shift and all, the only thing going through Jaune's head was how much weirder this thing was getting.

"By the way, what should I call you? It doesn't seem right to just refer to you as 'thing'."

"**I don't have a name. The only thing I have been referred to as is 'Creature'."**

"Creature? That doesn't sound like a good name. I guess we'll just have to work on one later."


	2. Chapter 2

**We Are One**

**Ch. 2**

After arriving in the village Jaune made sure to inform the head of the settlement of the increase of Grimm activity in the nearby forest. The leader of the village thanked him by pointed him towards the inn and offering to pay for the first night. Grateful for this, since it meant he wouldn't have to spend what little money he had, Jaune accepted and entered the establishment.

The inside of the inn wasn't anything to unique. There were several wooden tables and chairs around the place for people to sit and eat, along with a bar on the far end. A few patrons notice the new comer and give a quick glance before returning to their drinking. Jaune sees a male bartender wiping down the counter and heads over to him. As he approaches the bartender gives him a smile. "Welcome, how can I help you?"

Jaune reaches into his pocket and pulls out a note the mayor gave him. He was still shaken from the woods as he fumbled in his pocket to find the thing. "Hi, I'm new in town and looking for a room to stay the night. The mayor said to give this to you."

Handing over the note the bartender gives a quick look over before looking back at him. "Alright, seems you got a free room for the night. I'll get my son to get your room ready. You can sit and have a meal while you wait. You get one dinner and breakfast with each night you stay."

Taking the bartenders advice the teen heads over to a table near a window in the back and looks over a menu while he waits. Squaring up with his back to the wall he sees what looks good. After running through the woods and fight of two Beowolves he's a little hungry.

While picking his order something white pops out of his shirt and worms its way in front of the menu. **"What exactly are we doing here."**

The sudden reveal causes Jaune to jump in his seat and knock into the table. The commotion alerts the others in the room and they look over to the awkward kid sitting by himself. Noticing the gazes Jaune smiles sheepishly and apologizes to the rest before sitting back down.

None seemed too bothered by the disturbance and simply go back to whatever they were doing. After calming back down Jaune looks to his shirt. "Ya know, you could warn me when you're gonna do that."

The white goo pops back out and stares at his current wearer. **"Apologies, but I simply wished to know why we stopped moving. I believe I mentioned how important it was that we kept moving before the Black Ones caught up."**

Jaune gets nervous again after having to talk to the being attached to him. "I-I have to eat something. Plus this is the only town that has a port for a Bullhead to come by. It'll be faster than walking if we just take it to Vale."

"**Hm."** The Creature accepts the reason and looks over the menu as well. **"What is this 'food' anyways? I haven't come across it before and my knowledge from the ancestors is muddled."**

Seeing as the question doesn't have anything to do with his choice in stopping, Jaune welcomes the diversion. "Guess I shouldn't be too surprised that you don't know what food is. It's sorta like an umbrella term that covers several things, but it's mostly things that people and animals eat to provide nutrition and energy." As he explains to the white goo what 'food' is, he notices footsteps coming towards him. "Hey, hide. There's someone coming."

The Creature slinks back into the shirt just as the waitress approaches the table. "Hello, there. What can I get ya tonight?" The waitress looks rather young, in her late teens, with slightly tanned skin. She's outfitted in a light blue gown and a white apron with her light chestnut hair tied back in a pony tail.

Now, in a normal circumstance, when met with a nice-looking girl any man would be happy but considering Jaune's a teen and trying to hide something puts him in a real awkward place. "O-oh, well, I-I'll have the, um… the…. We-well what would a pretty girl like you recommend?"

Whether its was because of his helpless stuttering, his bright red face, his lame line, or the fact that he practically falls out of his chair, she giggles to herself. "Well, we do have a really good steak, or if you're a vegetarian we have some tomato soup."

Picking himself up from the floor, trying to look as nonchalant as he can, the goofy boy looks back over the menu to avoid eye contact. "If a p-pretty lady like you says the steaks good I have to take your word."

Meanwhile, inside his mind. _**'What are you doing?'**_

'_I don't know! I panicked!'_

'_**Does this happen often?'**_

'_Wh-what? No, I just have a little bit of trouble talking to girls outside my family is all.'_

'_**How many females outside of your family do you know?'**_

'_Pfft, like…. 4? Hey! How are we talking right now?'_

'_**We are communicating through our bond. As long as I am attached to you we should be able to talk like so.'**_

'_Oh…. Well doesn't this just get weirder and weirder.'_

"And how would you like that cooked?"

The waitresses question snaps him from his stupor. "Um, how about medium-rare." After writing down the order the waitress returns to the kitchen, but not before giving him a quick wink. As he follows the flirty girl with his eyes he meets another set staring back at him. The bartender is looking at Jaune with a fierce glare as he cracks his knuckles.

Not wanting to continue this brutal stare down Jaune turns away and whistles to himself. After sitting in silence for nearly twenty minutes the meal exits the kitchen and is carried to his table by the waitress. "Here ya go, cutie."

"T-thanks."

Before he can go to eat the waitress sits down in the seat across from him. "So, what's a handsome guy like you doin in a place like this? On a trip or something?"

Still not able to meet her gaze, Jaune starts to cut into his steak. "I guess I am. I'm actually stopping in this town to get on the Bullhead and head to Vale."

The waitress' eyes start to sparkle at the mention of Vale. "Oh, are you a huntsman-in-training? You heading to Beacon?"

At the mention of the great establishment his expression goes a bit sullen. "No, actually. I'm heading there for a job. I'm a photographer." As he says that he brings out his camera from his bag.

"And you're going all the way to Vale? You must be a pretty good photographer if they hired you from so far out here."

The complement makes the boy a bit sheepish as he rubs the back of his head. "I wouldn't say that. I used to do it more as a hobby. I always liked those crime shows on tv and used to pretend to be one of those forensic investigators."

When he first got his camera he used to go around the village and took pictures of practically everything. He once took a photo of Mr. Jackson wrestling with a woman out near the creek one day. The lighting was good, but Mrs. Jackson didn't seem too fond of it. It wasn't until Jaune was a teenager that he realized what he did.

"Ya, I used to set up a fake crime scene with my toys and pretended with my sisters to help solve the crime." Seeing Mr. Cuddles sprawled on the floor with ketchup everywhere and a knife in his stomach was rather traumatic when it first happened. Mom had to deal with my crying for nearly three hours before I calmed down.

"Haha hahaha. That is so cute." Seeing her laugh caused Jaune's cheeks to gain a slight red hue. Even her laugh was cute. "I used to do the same sorta thing with my brother. We'd play cops and robbers. I was always the cop though. I'd hold his action figures hostage unless he turned himself in."

The two share a laugh before continuing. Jaune would go back and forth between eating and talking and doing his best not to look like more of a fool in front of a pretty girl. After he'd eaten most of his dinner he asked the question that'd been bothering him. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why'd you sit down with me? I mean, I know you aren't that busy but why'd you sit here."

The waitress giggles a bit and waves her hand. "It wasn't for anything major. I mean, you're cute, but I'm not the kinda girl that just swoons over some guy just for his looks. No, there's just something about you. Something interesting. I figured if I talked to you I might find out what."

"Oh. So, did your hunch end up being right?"

"Hm… Maybe. Maybe not." Noticing he was finished with his meal she decides to get back to work. "Well, I see you're finished, and your room's probably ready, so I'll get out of your way."

As his dinner guest left Jaune stumbles to get up as he almost forgot something. "W-wait! I didn't get your name."

"It's Abby. My name's Abby."

Almost immediately after Abby left another boy comes up to Jaune's table. He has a similar complexion to Abby with the same colored hair, only shorter and swooped to the left. "You're the guy who just got the room, right?" Nodding in understanding the boy hands over a key. "That's the key to the room."

"Thanks."

Before Jaune can leave the younger boy stops his and whispers into his ear. "Also, if you're gonna hit on my sister I recommend not doing it in front of my old man." He points over to the bartender who's currently cracking open walnuts with his bare hands and putting them into a bowl.

Figuring it's best to hurry to his room Jaune goes up stairs to the room designated for him and walks inside. He throws his stuff down and falls on top of the bed. The piece of his hoodie where The Creature was at starts to shift as said being moves in front of Jaune's face and forms its 'head'.

"**Now that you have eaten, what will we do next?"**

Jaune lazily turns to look at The Creature. "The mayor said the Bullhead doesn't come until tomorrow around noon, so we're here until then. After the day I had I need my sleep, so we should head to bed."

"**Sleep, that's the hibernation like state your kind goes into for a short time each day to recover energy, correct?"**

"Ya, but how did you know that? I thought you said your knowledge of things was sorta jumbled."

"**The longer our bond continues the more information I gain from your memories. I have learned several things so far. Such as how you cleanse yourself in water called a 'shower', or how you wear clothes to protect yourself from the elements of nature, like the cold."**

"That sounds like some pretty basic stuff. You haven't reached very far into my memories, have you?"

"**No, I have not. Your memories flow into me slowly as time goes on. The deeper a memory the longer it will take for me to access it, without directly looking for it of course."**

"Please don't do that. I understand you want more knowledge of the world, but I'm pretty sure my personal memories won't be of much help." This whole bond thing was scary enough without the thing attached to him possibly taking over his mind. The only reason he hasn't tried to separate from it was because it was thanks to The Creature that he was able to survive the encounter in the woods. That and because he didn't know how The Creature would react to being told to leave.

Jaune gets up from the bed and starts to change into the pajamas he had packed away. This had been the third time he'd worn them in three days and they're starting to smell like it. Of course, this wasn't the only set of clothes he had. After he got to the apartment in Vale his parents were gonna send the rest of his stuff.

As Jaune crawls into bed The Creature separates itself from his hoodie and crawls onto the bed with him. **"I do not sleep like your kind does, so I shall keep watch for The Black Ones. They may try to attack in the middle of the night."**

"You do that buddy. If you get bored I have a book in my bag you can read. It's one of my sisters, but it's better than you think."

"**Very well then." **Jaune pulls the sheets over himself and starts to get into a comfortable position. **"One question before you sleep." **Jaune cracks his eye open to peer at The Creature. **"While I didn't see many of your memories, I did see one. It had to do with what I believe to be a ritual you preform beforehand. It involved a lot of energy and pleasure afterwards. I believed it was called masterb—"**

"ALRIGHT SHUT UP! WE'LL TALK TOMORROW."

Trying to ignore the silent stare of his roommate Jaune starts to doze off. The Creature crawls over to the window and looks outside, keeping watch for any intruders.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter. This one will be bringing in some of the Marvel/DC characters I plan to use so I hope you enjoy my pics.**

**Read the notes down below for more information. Now into the chapter.**

* * *

**We Are One**

Ch. 3

"Haaaaaaaahhhh…"

Jaune yawns tiredly into his hand while he sits at the bar of the inn. It's already 9 a.m. and the Bullhead doesn't get here until 10, so he's taking his time to grab some breakfast. He went with a simple meal of eggs and bacon. Didn't want to waste any food after he throws it up during the flight.

'_Curse you motion sickness.'_

After waking up this morning Jaune noticed a distinct lack of communication from his new traveling partner. On the one hand this is a sorta boon as he doesn't have to talk with the unknown and possibly dangerous entity too much. On the other hand it means he also doesn't know what The Creature is up to.

Rather than worry about it the young man chose to preoccupy himself with whatever was readily available. Unfortunately there wasn't much. The only other people in the establishment were the inn keeper and his son from last night. When asked where the man's daughter was Jaune received another glare like last night and silently retreated to a stool at the bar, all the while hoping the man wouldn't try to poison his breakfast.

After he finished his non-poisoned meal, he still had another half hour to kill, so he chose to walk around the town some. There wasn't much, but there were a few stalls with food and some wares.

While walking the town Jaune came across a farmer and a few of his farm hands trying to change the tire on a tractor. They have it propped up on a box, but they don't appear to have a jack to keep it at the height to change it.

"Damn it, Billy! Put your back into it! We're starting to drop Bessy!"

"I'm trying, Pa, but Bessy weighs a ton."

The three trying to hold up the tractor start to lose their strength and must set the machine down. The man changing the tire lets out a loud curse as he gets back up and starts to yell at the other three. Deciding it'd be the right thing to help the four out Jaune heads over.

"Excuse me? Do you all need an extra hand?"

The elderly man stops his rant to turn and see the stranger. He gives the lad a quick look over before speaking. "I appreciate the help, son. But I don't think you'll be able to help much. Ya got some muscle but I don't think it's enough to help here."

Jaune takes that as a challenge and starts to roll up his sleeves. "Maybe, but another pair of hands can't hurt."

The four share a look before they shrug their shoulders. "Alright, if you insist. My three sons will help lift it up high enough to get the tire put in and I'll try and get it on as fast as I can." Now with another pair of hand the group gathers around the tractor and grab ahold of the metal beast. "Okay, on three."

The boys brace themselves to hold the weight while the elderly man gets back down on the ground. "One… Two… Three!"

Almost immediately the tractor is lifted off the box…... and nearly gets flipped over. They put so much force into lifting the thing they nearly tipped the thing on its other side. Since Jaune's the one with the best grip on the side that's currently being flipped he grabs ahold of it before it escapes his reach. As he pulls it starts to fall back down, threatening to drop on the man below it. Jaune pushes back, but notices it starts to tilt over again, so he decides to just hold it.

After he locks himself in place the tractor doesn't even so much as budge a centimeter either way. They all stare in amazement at the display of strength shown by the blond teenager.

"Wow! How are ya holdin that thing up by yourself?"

"Bessy weighs nearly 3000 lbs. It usually takes all four of us plus two more to get her steady like that."

Not wanting to let the opportunity slip the old man gets the tire ready. "Lower it a bit if you can. Boys! Help me get the wheel on while he holds it." One of the boys shakes himself from his stupor and help his dad get the tire in place. With the two of them they're able to get it put on quickly and step away.

"Alright, ya can let it down."

Jaune does as he's told and puts the tractor back down. After setting down the 1-and-a-half-ton machine down he looks at his hands in amazement.

'_Since when… could I do that…?'_

There's a hard slap on his back from one of the farm hands. "Well I'll be. Ya didn't tell us you were a Huntsmen. Is your Semblance super strength or something?"

"No, I'm not a Huntsmen. I'm just… a normal guy. I don't even have Aura."

Jaune knew very little about Huntsmen. His father used to be one when he was younger, but that was before any of the kids were born. He's never talked much about his time as a Huntsmen, and never trained any of his kids. Except for Jean, but that's a special case.

The group looks at him like they don't believe him. "Well then you must be some kinda superhuman or something. Because there's no way a normal person could pick that up."

Jaune goes to try and deflect these accusations, but then he remembers what happened in the forest with the Grimm. _'When I fought, I was way faster than usual and stronger too… Could this be a side effect of the bond?'_

After receiving thanks from the farmers Jaune made his way to the port for his ride. It was nearly time for the Bullhead to arrive, and it wouldn't stay very long after it got here. Since it has to make a long track to Vale they have to leave before it gets dark.

Another minute or so passes and the Bullhead finally arrives. The pilot and a few crewmen come out and start to move supplies to and from the vehicle. They take off some basic supplies like food, water, and other miscellaneous goods. Meanwhile they fill in the empty space with produce the farmers had to sell.

After buying a ticket and settling in his belongings the young man takes a seat and prepares for a trying trip to Vale.

Before long the bullhead is loaded up and takes off. The air ship rocks some from the winds blowing as they climb higher, but quickly stabilizes thanks to the pilot. The same could not be said for Jaune's stomach though.

"Hugh-!"

The stomach bile threatens to erupt from his mouth, but he's able to hold it down. It didn't take long into the flight for his condition to start kicking in. Thankfully he packed so extra paper bags and some stomach medicine, but all that would do is hold back the inevitable.

"_**What is the matter with your condition, Host?"**_

A deep, inhuman voice calls out from the back of his mind. This would have been startling before, but with already knowing of his 'traveling companion' and coupled with the fact he's more focused on his stomach he doesn't care much.

"_It's my stomach. I have trouble flying because I have motion sickness. If it gets too bad, I'll end up puking all over the bullhead before we even get to Vale."_

"_**Hmm…"**_

The creature goes quite after hearing that. Jaune continues to wrestle with his sickness when suddenly he feels it start to quell. Eventually it completely settles and for the first time in his life he can fly in a bullhead without puking.

"What the? How am I…?"

The tingle returns, signifying The Creature is there.

"_**I believe that should help with your sickness?"**_

"Did you just _cure_ my motion sickness!?"

Some of the other passengers on board looked at him strangely for his outburst, causing Jaune to try to hide his embarrassment. He was so surprised that he forgot to speak to The Creature through his mind.

This time he made sure to think-talk to his companion. _"How the hell did you do that? I thought you could only heal my wounds?"_

"_**My ability are not limited to only surface wounds. To ensure whatever host I am bonded to is kept at peak condition I can heal all damages to the body from wounds to illnesses."**_

"_Well…. that's good to hear."_

Knowing that he no longer had to deal with his long running motion sickness Jaune choice to not look this gift horse in the mouth. The rest of the stuff about healing _any_ wound or disease sorta flew over his head, but maybe he'll realize how much of a boon this can be later…... Maybe?

The rest of the bullhead ride was rather uneventful. Other than some menial talk with The Creature nothing much happened. Eventually they can finally see the city of Vale through the cloud lines.

"_Well, there it is. That's the city of Vale."_

The Creature forms on his shoulder discreetly so as to not alarm the other passengers, though most of them were still asleep. **"So, this is what you 'humans' consider to be a major settlement. It is much grander than I expected after seeing the village we just came from."**

"That's understandable. The only places you'll find a city as grand as this is in Mistral, Vacuo, Atlas, Mantel, and Vale. They're the major cities in Remnant where most of the population on each continent lives, though I've heard Atlas and Mantel are just right on top of each other somehow."

"**I see."** The Creature continues to peer out of the window at the city in curiosity. **"The city truly does have a great deal of living creatures living within its walls."**

That caught young man's attention. "Hang on, are you telling me you can sense other people?" The more Jaune learns about The Creature the more he feels like this entire thing is a dream.

"**Not necessarily. It's not as though I know the exact number, but there's a sort of presence everyone gives off that I can feel. The presence feels stronger when you humans are in a state of stress or peril, like you were when we first bonded."**

'_Presence? Like a feeling? It can sense those sort of things?'_ From the description it gave it almost sounds like it can feel the negative emotions, just like the… Grimm. _'Oh, please tell me I don't have a Grimm attached to me!'_

"_**I believe I already informed you, but I am not one of the creature you call Grimm. Them and I are entirely different beings."**_

'_Well, I suppose that's comforting. It hasn't lied to me so far and if it was a Grimm it probably would've killed me and the rest of the villagers last night when I was sleeping- Wait, did you just read my inner thoughts!? I thought we had to be trying to talk for you to hear me?'_

"_**Not necessarily. As long as we are bonded there is nothing hidden from either of us."**_

Deciding it wasn't worth thinking of too much, considering The Creature could listen in on his thoughts, Jaune waited for the bullhead to land. After pulling into the airport the crew unloaded the cargo and the other passengers got off with their luggage.

"_Okay then, I guess I should head to the apartment building and meet the manager to get my room."_

"_**Finding a place to rest is the first thing you should do when arriving at a new environment. You are making a wise decision."**_

Jaune wanted to refute that he already had plans to get to his apartment but saw no point in it. The apartment building is a good 45 minutes away, even by train, so it's not like he's gonna be able to get there anytime soon.

As he starts to head towards the apartment complex, he decides to find a place to grab a quick snack. Another block later and he finds a café to eat at. After he enters, he gets in line to order. When he finally gets to the front of the line, he makes his order of a muffin and a latte. After he receives them, he starts to leave when someone bumps into him.

"Ah!"

Jaune's able to keep hold of his food and still reaches out to grab the other person from falling. Unfortunately his hands are still full so all he can do is wrap his arm around them. Or should I say her.

The person who bumped into his was a woman with short brown hair, aquamarine eyes, and a pair of cat ears atop her head. She was shorter than him by almost half a foot and looked around the same age he did.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry. Your clothes are ruined now." True to what she said, when they bumped into each other it seemed her drink had spilled onto him. "We need to get it off before it burns you."

She tries to wipe it off furiously but is stopped by Jaune. "It's okay. It's not that hot really. Actually, I can't even feel it." For whatever reason he can't feel the heat from the coffee even though he knows it's there.

"Are you sure? You're not feeling anything?" She looks at him like he's talking nonsense.

"I'm sure. Thank you for worrying though."

She stands there looking him over one more time before admitting defeat. "Well, if you say so. At least let me pay for it to get washed."

She reaches into her purse to offer him some money, but Jaune stops her. "There's no need for that. I sorta have a special cleaning method that can get out any stain, no problem." _'And it's a strange creature living on my body.'_

"You're a strange one." She sends a whimsical smirk to the teen. "My name's Selina Kyle. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, um, I'm Jaune Arc. It's short and, um, sweet?" _'Damnit Jaune! I know you're not used to talking to girls, but this is pathetic. You did better when you were talking to that waitress, Abbey.'_

"Pfft, Hahahaha."

'_Great, and now she's laughing. Really working that 'Arc Charm' there.'_

Selina continues to laugh quietly behind her hand, but eventually calms down. "You're really not used to this, are you? But I suppose that's sort of cute in its own way."

Jaune is so embarrassed by the entire thing that he covers his face. "Ugh, 'cute' isn't exactly the kind of thing a guy wants to hear."

"Maybe, but," She closes the distance a bit. She then places her finger underneath his chin and traces it along his jaw a bit. "I happen to like cute guys." And like that Jaune is turned into a bumbling mess. "I'll see you around. Have a nice day."

As quickly as she came, she left. And Jaune is left in embarrassed silence. Some of the other customers are looking on and laughing to themselves. Not wanting to continue making a scene he heads out of the shop.

'_Oh man, that was so embarrassing. Can't believe I just did that!'_

"_**I believe I am seeing a trend with you and those of the opposite gender from you. Perhaps you should try a different approach if you do not wish to always end up in such a state."**_

'_I KNOW THAT! It's really hard to just walk up to a girl and hit on her when I don't have much experience.'_

"_**Perhaps you should try choosing a different type of individual to 'hit on'. That one had attempted to steal your wallet while you were talking to her."**_

'_You're right. Maybe I should try someone more on my lev- Come again?' _Jaune stops in his tracks and nearly drops his latte again.

"_**Correct. While you were talking to her she was searching the area you kept your wallet. Since you keep such an importance on it, I sealed off the opening to the pocket."**_

'_Are you kidding me?'_ He lets out a defeated sigh as he throws away the finished latte and muffin wrapper. _'Of course no girl that beautiful would be interested in me unless she was after money. And she seemed so nice too.'_

It was a rather drastic blow to his already fragile self-confidence. He'd be crying right now if he wasn't already used to these sort of things.

'_It's just like it was with the Smith triplets. We were getting along so well, but one day I never saw them again. Their family had even moved away from the village.'_

While he was wallowing in his own pity The Creature decided to chip in again. _**"If it was any conciliation, I do not believe she had any malicious intent aside from trying to rob you.''**_

'_Meaning?'_

"_**Meaning, there were no lies in her words. Everything she said to you was the truth."**_

'_It was… the truth?'_ Hearing that perked up his attitude a bit. Just a bit though. And with that he continues onward towards the apartment complex with an extra pep in his step.

Eventually, the pair makes it to the apartment complex. The manager's office is on the first floor near the entrance. The entrance requires a code to get in though unless you know someone inside who can buzz you in.

Jaune walks up to the box and calls for the manager. There's a slight pause before someone answers. **"Hello? Is someone there?"**

Jaune presses the button to speak and gets closer to the box. "Yes, I'm Jaune Arc. I'm the new tenant here."

"**Ah, yes, Jaune Arc. Just one moment and I'll be there."**

The call goes dead and he waits outside of the door. Eventually, a figure approaches the entrance and opens the door. It's a middle-aged man with white hair tied back into a short ponytail and glasses.

"Hello there. It's nice to meet you. I'm Ben Parker." Mr. Parker opens the door and gestures for Jaune to follow.

Jaune steps forward and follows the man inside. "Same here. I'm Jaune Arc."

After giving out a greeting the two head up to his new apartment. Along the way they decide to make small talk. "I gotta say it's rare to see someone as young as you move out on your own like this. Most kids your age either stay home to go to college or go to a Huntsmen academy."

"I had planned to go to a Huntsmen academy, but I was denied. I didn't want to just live my whole life in my village like the rest of my family, so I moved out." He wanted to mention he hadn't found a job yet but seeing as this man was now his landlord it probably wouldn't inspire much confidence.

"It's good to see someone so motivated to grow and mature now a day. These younger generation are the future, but they're still too young to grasp what that really means." Mr. Parker rounds a corner and leads Jaune down a hallway. "Ah, listen to me ramble. I'm sure I sound like an old man talking like that. Anyways, here's your apartment."

It was the room at the very end of the hall on the right. Since this was the 3rd floor it also meant he wouldn't have anybody above him to worry about. The numbers on the door said which apartment this was. Apartment 310.

"Whelp, here we are." Mr. Parker pulls out his scroll and scans it over the door lock. "This is going to be your apartment. I'll send the key code to your scroll shortly. I'll swing by later with the rest of the lease paperwork around dinner time. Until then you can unpack." Mr. Parker steps away from the door and starts to leave. "Have a good time. I'll see you later."

Jaune grabs his luggage and heads inside after bidding goodbye to Mr. Parker. The inside of the apartment was better than he was expecting. The condition isn't too bad. The walls and ceiling didn't have any stains on them and there weren't any bad odors. The only thing that brought it down was the A/C which sounded like it had a gear bouncing around inside of it.

The entrance lead into a living room that looked like it could fit over a dozen of people comfortably and a kitchen attached to it with an island dividing the two rooms. To the left appears to be the bedroom and to the right is another smaller room and a bathroom. For the price he was paying this apartment was a steal.

"Mr. Parker said he'd be back around dinner time. I still have a few hours, so I might as well stock up on foods and necessities."

The sleeve on his right arm shifts a bit as The Creature takes form. **"Now that you have found shelter you plan to acquire supplies. What is your plan after that?"**

Jaune moves his luggage into the room that will be his new bedroom. Already inside is a simple bedframe and a queen-sized bed. On the bed is a note which Jaune pics up. Written on the card is as follows.

"_**Mr. Arc,**_

_**Consider this a gift for your first time on your own. This was left here by the previous tenant, so there's no need to thank us for it. You actually saved us time and energy in moving it. Please enjoy your time with us, for as long as it lasts.**_

_**Sincerely, Mr. and Mrs. Parker"**_

'_This is just… way too much.'_

He was already prepared to sleep on the floors for a couple of days until he bought his own furniture. Now he was saved money and a bad back. He felt nothing but gratitude for all of it. He was already thinking of some way to pay them back.

"Alright, I know what I need to buy now."

There's a notification from his Scroll. There's a message from Mr. Parker with the pass code for his apartment attached. With his way back into the building secured he can leave without worry.

He heads back out and off to a department store he passed on the way. After going inside he heads to the food isle first to grab groceries.

'_Let's see, first I'll need some potatoes and some rice. Then I'll need…'_

After going through and grabbing the groceries on his mental list he heads over to the rest of the store to grab some basics for the house. While shopping he hears a commotion near the front of the store. Figuring it's just some disgruntled customer he continues shopping.

When he's got everything, he needed he starts to head to the check out. As he approaches the front the commotion grows louder. When he exits one of the isles, he sees another customer crouched down behind a stand, shaking.

Looking over at the cashier he finally sees what the commotion is all about. _'Oh… Shoot.'_

Standing over by the register is a man with a black ski mask holding the employee at gun point. Another gunman is standing by the entrance keeping an eye at while another is coming from the way of the employee break room.

"Hurry up and give me the money you stupid punk! I don't got all day!"

Gunman 1 waves his gun around to emphasize his impatience. The cashier behind the counter is shaking and crying while trying to follow his orders. Little by little he empties the register before moving over to another.

"We got 3 more left. You better hurry if you know what's good for you!"

"I-I'm moving as fast as I can!" The cashier is starting to break down more. His hand are so sweaty that he's unable to hold on to the key for the register.

Gunman 3, who had gone to the employee break room, returns with who appears to be the manager. "I shut down the security cameras, but this jack-off," He says as he throws the manager down in front of them, "already sent a call to the police. They'll be here in 10 minutes. We'd better hurry."

The three continue to argue with one another. Meanwhile, Jaune was hiding behind one of the racks away from everyone's sight. _'Where the hell did these guys come from? How did I not hear them earlier!?'_

Jaune peaks around the corner to see one of the thugs kick the manager in the gut. Gunman 1 squats down and puts the barrel of his gun against the man's head. "If this guy wanted to be so brave as to call the cops then I guess we should reward him." He twists the gun to further instill fear into the defenseless man.

"_They're going to kill that man! We have to do something."_

"_**We do not have to do anything. We have no reason to present danger to ourselves. Survival is the most important thing."**_

"_I can't just sit here cowering while another man's life ends! I'm going out there."_

His declaration was met with silence. Jaune starts to get up to confront the gunmen when he realizes he can't move. Looking down he sees that The Creature has formed and stuck itself to the floor.

"_What the!? Hey, let go!"_

He tries to struggle against it, but to no avail.

"_**If you are so determined to confront these assailants, then we shall, but only after I make a quick adjustment."**_

Like when they first met The Creature covers Jaune's entire body. His new form is like before with a full body white suit and some black splotches shaped like eyes on his face. Even though he's covered in The Creature he can see just like normal. In fact, it might even be better than normal.

"_**Just like we first met, I have covered you in myself so that we may fight as one."**_

"_So, this is like how I fought the Grimm then? Super strength and everything?"_

"_**Yes, your physical capabilities are boosted greatly past their normal standards. You should easily be able to kill those three no problem."**_

"_Wow, wait, I don't want to kill them! I just need to dispatch them."_ Even if they were criminals it doesn't mean they should be killed. They were still people!

"_**You will fight them, but not kill them?"**_ The Creature sounded generally surprised to hear that he wouldn't kill them. _**"Are you not worried they might try to kill you later? It seems normal to eliminate all threats to oneself."**_

Jaune was too taken aback by this straightforward way of thinking that he didn't even have a response. While lost in thought he hears the cries of fear from the manager still at the end of the barrel.

"_Crud! I need to focus."_ Regaining focus he prepares to head back in. Peering back around he sees Gunman 1 cocking back the hammer of the gun to fire. _"No time for a plan. Gonna have to wing it."_

"Alright, time to die, man."

Jaune jumps over the rack and lands on top of Gunman 1. The gun's knocked from his hand as he falls to the ground beneath Jaune. Gunman 3 is standing there in silence as he has no idea what just happened, the manager's unconscious, most likely from fear, and the cashier started cowering behind the register.

"What the- who the hell are you!?"

Gunman 3 regains some bearing and aims his handgun at the new arrival. Before he can pull the trigger, the gun is grabbed and twisted out of his grip.

"How did you!?" The whole thing was so fast that he didn't even see how it happened.

"_Alright, let's make sure that we don't hurt these people too much."_

"_**Very well, I will be sure to limit the power so as to not cause serious harm."**_

Finally going on the offensive Jaune delivers a palm strike to Gunman 3's chest intending to push him away, only to send the assailant sailing back several feet. He ends up crashing into a tall stack of cans that were standing in the middle of the isle.

"…_. Hey."_

"_**Yes?"**_

"_WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? I SAID NOT TO HURT THEM TOO BADLY!"_

Jaune yell/thought at The Creature in an angry tone.

"_**I simply did as you instructed. I limited the power so as to not cause serious harm. Was this not to your satisfaction?"**_

"_You call that not causing serious harm! I think we just knocked him out. Maybe even broke some bones!"_

With how much force was actually in that blow it wouldn't be that surprising if his sternum was broken. Though, from the sound of it it's unlikely anything more serious then that occurred. No organs should have been damaged. He would only suffer some bruising and some broken bones.

"How the hell did you do that, you freak?!"

Gunman 2, who had previously been watching the entrance for any cops, has finally acknowledged the ongoing event and decides to interfere. Like his comrades he decides to open fire. He gets a few stray shots out, hitting nothing but a couple of racks and the ceiling.

Jaune reacts and ducks behind the counter. Remembering the unconscious manager he grabs his ankle and drags him behind the counter with the cowering employee. **"Hey, do me a favor and look after your boss for me, would ya?"**

To his own surprise his voice was deeper than usual. It wasn't dark and brooding like some edgy dark superhero. It was more like the voice of a man who was reliable enough to reassure anyone. The employee just shakes his head as Jaune jumps over the counter again.

"_Why is my voice so different?"_

"_**I adjusted your voice as per your desire. Just like how I shaped myself to fit you."**_

"_Wow, wait, 'to my desire'? Did you somehow move to my suppressed thoughts?"_

The suppressed thoughts, also known as subconscious will, are the underlying thoughts and feelings one has that even they might not know of. It would seem that The Creature could access the part of Jaune's mind that even he wasn't aware of.

Gunman 2 fires another round at Jaune, but he dodges out of the way. _"That guys gonna keep firing till he hits. If these keeps up, he might end up shooting someone else."_ Thinking of a way to disarm the man he remembers what The Creature did earlier. _"Hey, what you did earlier when you extended yourself to keep me to the floor. Can you do it again?"_

"_**Yes, I can, and I know what you have in mind. Simply aim and think what you wish to happen, and I will take care of the rest."**_

"_Perfect."_

Jaune aims his fist at Gunman 2 and tilts it down slightly. Nothing seems to happen at first, when suddenly a white string fires out at latches onto the gun. He then flicks his wrist and the gun is pulled from the attacker's hand.

"How did you!?"

Using the momentum from pulling the gun, Jaune whips it around and comes back to hit Gunman 2 in the head. The force from the blow is so strong and sudden that he falls unconscious instantly. He body drops limply to the floor.

All of the robbers had been defeated with Jaune standing victorious. He stands there for a moment, taking in what just happened.

"_I really just did that. We really just did that."_

"_**Yes, we did. What should we do now?"**_

"_I think we should—" _Before he can even finish the sound of sirens can be heard off in the distance. Looks like the cops have finally arrived. _"Leave. We should definitely leave."_

"_**For once I agree with you."**_

Not wasting time Jaune exits the supermarket and plans his next step.

"_Okay, where to next?"_

He takes a quick assessment of his surroundings and sees a single story building next to the supermarket. He takes a running approach and jumps. He wasn't sure he'd be able make it at first, but he clears it easily and lands safely. From there he jumps to another nearby roof and continues on until he's a block away.

After he's a safe distance away he has The Creature change back to his casual wear and he lands on the street. He doubles back around and enters the store again when no one is looking.

* * *

Soon after the police arrived paramedics came and tended to the injured manager and took care of any civilians experiencing shock. Jaune is standing off to the side waiting for an officer to question him.

Eventually he's approached by two men with one of them wearing a brown trench coat. They were both middle aged. The one on Jaune's right has pale blond, almost white, hair and is dressed in a dark blue suit and red tie. The officer on Jaune's left has dark brown/red hair with a moustache to match and a pair of glasses.

"What are you doing here anyways, James? This isn't your jurisdiction."

"I was just on my way home when I got a call about a robbery in the area. Figured I'd stop by. Didn't expect to see you here though, George."

They approach Jaune and the man identified as George pulls out a pad and pen. "Hello there young man. I'm detective George Stacy and this is detective James Gordon. We're gonna ask you a couple of questions and you can get on with your night."

"Of course, sir. Anything I can do to help."

"Good. Now, can I get your name and what you were doing when the robbers first came into the store?"

"My name is Jaune Arc and I was in the back getting some groceries when I heard a commotion at the register. I thought it was just a disgruntled customer at first. Only after heading towards the front did I find out the store was being robbed. I hid behind one of the racks when I saw what was happening."

The other detective, James, asks the next question. "How many men were there? How many of them were armed?"

Jaune turns to address the man. "I saw two people at first. They both were armed. Another man came from the back where the employee break room is with the manager holding him at gun point."

"Did you see anything else? Anything else that stick out?"

"Ya. After the gunmen were about to shoot the manager some… guy dressed in a white jumpsuit like thing jumped onto of one of them. He took out the third guy and dragged the manager behind the counter when the robber at the door opened fire. He jumped back out and fired some kind of string at the guy to rip the gun from his hand and smack him with it. After that he left out the entrance."

Detective Stacy finishes writing down the statement he closes the pad. "Thank you for your time, Jaune. You have a good night."

The two detectives bid him farewell and go off to take to the other officers. Jaune goes back inside and is able to purchase his groceries from a very scared, but still working employee. He heads back to his apartment and drops off his stuff.

"Alright, time to get everything ready."

* * *

It was some time after getting back from the store. Jaune was just getting out of the shower and changing into something more comfortable. The Creature has taken its base form and decided to gather more information on the world that Jaune does not already know.

While at the store Jaune bought some books along with a few other things. It was mostly common books like atlas' and history books. It seems The Creature was enjoying its time taking in more information.

After getting changed there was a knock at his door.

"Coming!" He heads to the door and opens it to see Mr. Parker standing there. "Hello there, Mr. Parker. Here for the lease signing?" It was about the time Mr. Parker had said he would be stopping by to drop them off.

"No, actually. I have the papers downstairs on the first floor. I was coming to ask you to meet me there in a few minutes."

"Oh, sure. I'll see you there in a bit."

Mr. Parker bids him goodbye and returns to the first floor. Jaune grabs somethings he was preparing and gets ready to head out.

"**Where are you going? I thought you were staying in for the night."**

"Mr. Parker invited me downstairs to sign some papers. I'm not leaving the building, so feel free to enjoy the rest of your free time reading those books. I'll be back later."

The Creature barely acknowledges his partner as he leaves. Jaune carries his package as he takes the elevator down to the first floor. When he arrives at the floor, he finds Mr. Parker and a middle-aged woman waiting there.

"Hi there, Jaune. Glad you could make it." The older man notices the package Jaune is carrying in his hands. "I see you have something there."

"Yes, actually." Jaune holds out the package towards the man. "I had made dinner for you and your wife. As thanks for the bed."

The woman who was with Mr. Parker steps forward and receives the package. "Thank you very much. For someone so young to be so thoughtful is always great to see."

Mr. Parker steps forward and jesters towards the woman. "This is my wife, May Parker. We run this apartment complex together."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Arc. I hope you enjoy your stay with us." Mrs. Parker extends her hand and Jaune meets it for a handshake.

"I'm sure I will, Mrs. Parker."

Mrs. Parker waves her hand side to side. "Oh, there's no need for that. You can just call me Aunt May. I prefer it that way."

"And you can just call me Uncle Ben." Mr. Parker makes the same correction his wife did and starts to head off towards a room further down the hall. "Come this way. We'll sign the lease in here."

Jaune and May follow Ben into the room, but when they enter, they see several other people standing there with food set out.

"Ah, there they are! Ben, is this the new tenant?"

"Yes he is." Ben turns around and gestures to Jaune. "Everyone, this is Jaune Arc. The new tenant of 310."

Jaune is caught off guard by the group of people that seemed to have been waiting for him. Ben sees his shock and addresses him.

"These are some of the other tenants here at Marvel Heights. They came to greet you as they do with every other tenant that arrives."

The first person to approach him is a tall man with glasses and two others who appear to be his children. "Hi there Jaune, it's nice to meet you. I'm Robert Hawkins and this is my son, Virgil. Welcome to Marvel Heights."

Robert's son, Virgil, looks a couple of years younger, probably a sophomore in high school, with his hair styled in dreadlocks.

"He's around your age so I'm sure you'll get along fine."

"It's nice to meet both of you. I hope we get along."

"Same here man. Hey pops, I'm gonna get some food before it's all gone." Vergil head over to the food line to grab something and leaves his dad behind.

"That boy." Robert turns to Jaune. "Sorry about that. He's a good boy. Just needs to learn some manners is all."

"It's no problem. We're not that different and our age is pretty similar, so it's no bother." Robert nods before he goes off to join his son.

When the Hawkins family leaves another one comes to replace them. This family had three members as well, but unlike the Hawkins it consisted of a husband, wife, and one small boy.

The husband most defining feature was the fact that he was missing his right arm. His sleeve was folded up and sewn to the shoulder. "Hello. I'm Doctor Curtis Connors, but you can just call me Curt. This is my wife Martha and our son William. We live down the hall from you in 604. It's nice to meet you, neighbor."

"It's nice to meet you, Jaune. I'm sure well get along just fine." William hides behind Martha's back and gazes at Jaune nervously. The Connors go the way of the Hawkins and head over to the food line to get something to eat.

Jaune prepares to join them when another voice calls out to him. "Well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to run into you again, Mr. Arc."

The voice comes from behind him. Turning around he sees the two detectives from earlier, George Stacy and James Gordan, approaching him with two girls. "Must be a strange coincidence that you just so happen to be the new tenant. Not exactly a good first day when it starts off with a robbery."

"A robbery!?" May overhears the conversation and comes over. "I didn't hear about this! Are you okay, Jaune? You're not hurt, are you?"

May worries over the boy like one might expect from someone worrying about there own child. She looks over the boy, seeing if there were any wounds or injuries.

"I'm fine, May. I wasn't injured or anything."

Jaune tries his best to calm her down and reassure her. It seems to do the trick, but she still looks at him with some worry. "If you say so. But if you feel anything please let me know."

"May," Ben finally comes over to pull his wife off the boy. "He's a grown boy. He can take care of himself. Plus, James and George wouldn't have sent him home if he was hurt, so he must be fine." He leads May over to some of the others and leaves the group to their introductions.

"May's still the same worrier as always." James speaks up as the group regathers. "Don't mind her too much. She worries about just about every here that's a tenant. You'll get used to it."

The girl who was with James steps forward. She has long red hair to match her fathers, but it's a bit brighter. "I'm Barbra, and you already know my dad apparently."

The other girl who was with George follows Barbra's approach and goes to introduce herself. She has shoulder length blonde hair with a black headband. "I'm Gwen, George's daughter. Barbra and I both go to Central high school together as Juniors starting this year."

'_Man, what is it with all these attractive girls lately? Back home there were only a handful of girls outside of my family that I found attractive. Now I've run into 4 in the last couple of days. I've already doubled my numbers!'_

Realizing he hadn't said anything he corrects himself. "O-Oh, that's cool. I just moved here from my village, so it's nice to meet so many nice people."

"You're from a village?" George cuts in to ask a question. "It's rare to see someone from a village move to Vale, especially someone so young. You must be very independent for your age."

Jaune starts to get embarrassed by the sudden praise and scratches the back of his neck. "It's not that impressive. It's just a little village called Smallville. I just didn't like the idea of being stuck at the family home my entire life, so I moved out. My parents were so excited to get me out they even paid for the first few months on the lease."

"It's expected for a parent to support their children when they're first starting out." James puts his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "All parents just want to see they're kids grown up happy."

Barbra pushes James' hand off her and steps away embarrassed. "Dad, stop that!"

The group laughs at the parent and child antics. Something has been weighing on Jaune's mind since the questioning at the supermarket.

"Mr. Stacy, I actually had a question for you." George looks at Jaune. "It was about the person who showed up at the supermarket. The one in white. Did you guys find out anything more on him?"

"So, it was about that?" George gains a complicated look. "That sort of thing is usually not supposed to be shared, but it's not like you aren't gonna hear about it on the news tomorrow."

James stops quarreling with his daughter and joins in. "It seems the guy in white was probably a Huntsmen, or at least one in training. But even that doesn't make too much sense. Usually a Huntsmen would claim the job and get paid from the city for stopping the crime, and a student would report it as extra credit for school. No one's honing up to it though. It's strange."

"So, it's not a Huntsmen then? What about a vigilante?"

"That's a possibility," George cuts back in. "But that makes it even more dangerous. We can't have random people coming in and taking on criminals like this. If a civilian were to be injured or killed because they were being reckless it would be a horrible incident."

"Ya, it would be a horrible thing if that happened."

For all the good he did if he wasn't bonded to The Creature at the time, he probably would be at the morgue right now. It truly was reckless, but he doesn't regret it. Whether he had The Creature to help or not he likes to think he still would have tried to do something.

Jaune looks around and notices something odd. "Is this everyone who lives in the building? It seems like there's some people missing."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Gwen tells him. "Not all the rooms are taken at the moment. There are some other people living here of course, but they're either working right now or just aren't that sociable."

"Well, I'm sure I'll meet them all eventually. If they're anything like all of you then I'm sure, we'll get along."

The rest of the welcoming party carries on with everyone milling about and conversing with one another. When the foods run out any everyone's had their fill, they start to head home. Jaune stops off at the Parker's apartment and finish signing the lease before heading back.

When he gets back home, he finds The Creature still reading, but it appears to have gone through a few of the books by now.

"I'm back." Jaune looks over at the small pile that's started. "You look like you've been busy."

"**Yes, I've been reading more on your world. I must say it is full of knowledge you were not aware of. I find it surprising that one who lives in this world could be so ignorant of it at the same time."**

That was a more personal attack the it probably meant to inflict, but it still hurt. "Living in a village away from the major kingdoms makes it hard to be up to date on everything. Sue me for not having access to the Scrollnet because of poor service."

"**That is no excuse for not acquiring information when your survival depends on it. Fools die quickly after all."**

Deciding he doesn't have the energy to carry this conversation anymore Jaune prepares to head to bed. "I'm gonna get some sleep. You enjoy yourself but keep it down." Before closing the door, Jaune pops back in for one last thing. "Hey, Creature?"

The Creature 'looks' up from it's book. **"Yes, what is it, Human?"**

"Err, just call me Jaune. Human is kind of too much of a general term to feel like you're talking to me. But that's not what I wanted to say. When you adjusted my voice while you were covering me, why did that voice sound so familiar? Did you find someone in my memories that sounded like that?"

"**I believe I already told you. I looked into your subconscious to make your ideal form, which included your voice." **Jaune still looks conflicted about the lack of an answer. **"But I do believe I know the person you are thinking of."**

"And that would be?"

"**Your Grandfather. Or your Father's Father to be precise."**

"My ideal voice of reassurance is… my Grandpa's?"

"**Yes, it is." **The creature goes back to reading it's book. **"You seem to hold a great deal of respect for him."**

"… I do. Even though I only met him a few times he seemed like the sort of man that people respected. I guess…. I just wanted to be like him. If only a bit."

Jaune heads to bed, but not before sending a message to his folks to assure them that he's moved in and doing good. He gets under the comforter and drifts off to dream land.

* * *

Elsewhere, far off in a small village a man was cutting wood. He's a large man, almost like a wall of meat. As he goes to cut another log he's approached by a woman.

"Dear, we just received another message from Jaune. It seems he's settled in nicely and met some nice people."

The man stops chopping and sets his ax down. "That's good. I was really worried when we hadn't heard from him in so long, but it looks like he's alright. Did he say anything else, Isabelle?"

"Not much. He's never been one to talk much through text messages, you know that Michael."

"Your right is suppose. Why don't you head inside? I'll be in soon."

Isabelle nods in agreement and heads inside. After Michael cleans up, he starts to head inside to join his family.

"So, Jaune has left the home and ventured out on his own has he?"

Michael grabs the ax and hurls it in the direction of the voice. The axe sails through the air into the nearby woods but is caught by a shadow figure.

"Now, is that any way to greet your Father? I expected something more pleasant."

The clouds move out of the path of the Moon to allow light to illuminate the field. Standing there with the axe in had is a tall man with shoulder length black hair and matching sideburns. His built strong, perhaps more then Michael, with three scars on his face that look as though he was slashed by a wild animal.

Michael glares at the man with disdain. "What are you doing here, Father? You don't usually show up unannounced. That was part of our agreement."

The man hurls the ax over by the chopped wood and impedes is in the ground. "I was coming to see how you were all doing. As for not calling ahead, well I just wanted to give my grandchildren a surprise is all."

"Why you!" Before Michael acts there's a knife at his Father's throat. The blade barely pierces the skin, but it's enough to draw blood.

"Ah, little Isabelle. How are you my dear?"

Isabelle stand behind the man and continues to press the dagger against his neck. "I'd be better if you never showed your face here again."

The man laughs. "Always the serious one, aren't you? I see the training Ra's instilled in you hasn't worn in the slightest. That is commendable." Isabelle presses the blade a bit deeper, but the man doesn't seem affected at all. "I believe I should leave now. I wouldn't want to cause more of a scene and disturb my grandchildren's slumber."

Isabelle looks to her husband before she pulls the knife away and joins him. The man wipes the to reveal there's no wound where the blade pierced. "I believe I should take my leave now. But remember this, Michael. Jaune, like you are of my blood. It means you will do great things, remember that."

"For you are a Son of Savage."

* * *

**Alright everyone here's the chapter. Honestly, I considered making this two chapter, but I wanted to keep pushing and let people see this final scene.**

**Now as I said this is a three-way crossover. There will be some Marvel and some DC characters that show up. I'll be mixing the universes to add some cool backstory and mythos for this story later, but for now it's still building.**

**For those wondering I'm using the Vandal Savage from the Young Justice show. I just like his look the best.**

**If anyone is wanting to, I am looking for a Beta reader to help bounce ideas and look over the chapters. If you're interested, please message me.**


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